Paleontology

News about paleontology, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 17, 2015

Study in journal Nature reports discovery of fossil remains in Morocco of six-foot long arthropod that lived 520 million years ago and used spines on its head to filter plankton from seawater for food. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Two reports in journal Science report discovery of 2.8-million-year-old jawbone in Afar region of Ethiopia belonging to human ancestor Homo habilis; fossil, which predates previously discovered Homo fossils by 400,000 years, makes crucial link between Australopithecus Afarensis and early Homo. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

Two studies by paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo published in journal Science report discovery of two fossils from Jurassic Period, roughly 145 to 200 million years ago, illustrating way that mammals from that period adapted to their environment. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Dec. 16, 2014

Researchers discover oldest known horned dinosaur species from early Cretaceous in North America; tiny dinosaur, found in Montana, is named Aquilops americanus. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Study by paleontologist Ryosuke Motani, published in journal Nature, reports on discovery of fossils in China that support theory that Ichthyosaurs, ancient, aquatic relatives of snakes and lizards, evolved from land-dwelling reptiles that returned to the ocean. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Op-Ed article by Michael J Novacek, senior vice president of the American Museum of Natural History, expresses excitement at the numerous recent discoveries of extinct species in Earth's fossil record; underscores importance of these discoveries, as well as of what the fossil record can contribute to human knowledge. MORE

Nov. 6, 2014

Study in journal Nature reports on skull fossil from a newly discovered extinct species, Vintana sertichi, similar to groundhogs, that lived in Madagascar at the time of the dinosaurs about 66 million to 70 million years ago; it is only third mammal fossil found in the Southern Hemisphere. MORE

Oct. 7, 2014

Researchers have discovered fossil of 52-million-year-old beetle in India that lived alongside ants, preying on their eggs and usurping resources; fossil is the oldest known example of a kind of social parasitism known as myrmecophily. MORE

Sep. 12, 2014

Model of the largest known predatory dinosaur, and the only dinosaur known to spend much of its life in water, will be displayed at National Geographic Museum in Washington; journal Science describes 50-foot Spinosaurus as living in northern Africa 95 million years ago; first bones of dinosaur were brought to paleontologist by a nomad in 2008. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Scientists report newly described dinosaur called Dreadnoughtus that was unearthed in Patagonia region of Argentina in 2006 is the first of this species and the most complete skeleton ever found in the group of gargantuan dinosaurs known as titonosaurs; Drexel University paleontologist Kenneth J Lacovara describes the fossil in journal Scientific Reports. MORE

Sep. 2, 2014

Dr Alexander G Liu study in journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B reports discovery of the oldest known muscle tissues in the fossilized tissues of a soft-bodied creature that shares an ancestor with modern sea anemones, jellyfish and corals. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Dr Pascal Godefroit study in journal Science reports discovery of new species of feathered dinosaur in Russia; finding suggests that dinosaurs with feathers were more widespread than previously thought. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

Study in journal Nature Communications reports discovery of flying, four-winged dinosaur, known as Changyuraptor, in northeastern China. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Study in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reports discovery in British Colombia of fossil of ancient hedgehog known as Silvacola acares, which lived 52 million years ago, during early Eocene epoch. MORE

Jul. 13, 2014

Connecticut's Petrified Forest exhibition, at Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, features piece of petrified wood found by a Yale professor on a 22-acre farm in Southbury; find led to discovery of a new genus and species of conifer, now extinct, that grew 200 million years ago (Metropolitan/Connecticut). MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

German report discovery of new specimen of Archaeopteryx, 150-million-year-old winged creature thought to represent transition from dinosaurs to birds. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Alexander W A Kellner study in journal Current Biology reports that scientists have discovered first intact eggs from pterosaurs, flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs, in northwestern China during the Early Cretaceous period. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Dr Renate Matzke-Karasz study in journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B reports discovery of world's oldest sperm in tiny shrimp called ostracods that lived at least 17 million years ago. MORE

May. 9, 2014

Annual Identification Day at the American Museum of Natural History invites public to bring in an article of unknown origin, such as fossils, rocks, bones or butterflies, and have it explained by experts. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Interview with Neil H Shubin, paleontologist, molecular biologist and anatomist, in which he discusses his discovery of 375-million-year-old fish called Tiktaalik and link fish forms between sea and land animals; Shubin is set to preside over three-part PBS television series Your Inner Fish. MORE

Apr. 1, 2014

Study in journal PeerJ reports that many woolly mammoths from North Sea had superfluous rib attached to seventh vertebra, sign that they suffered from inbreeding and harsh conditions during pregnancy; anomaly may have contributed to their extinction 12,000 to 10,000 years ago. MORE

Apr. 1, 2014

Artists on American Museum of Natural History's exhibitions team work with curators, paleontologists and scientific consultants to create reproductions of extinct animals that are as accurate and lifelike as possible; such models exist at nexus of scientific fact and artistic interpretation. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Newly identified species of ancient porpoise, known as Semirostrum ceruttii, had an unusually long lower jaw, analogous to the human chin. MORE

Mar. 4, 2014

Remains of trilobites, diverse group of marine animals that are older than dinosaurs and distantly related to horseshoe crab, continue to fascinate and surprise researchers; recent research describes new insight into crystal-eyed visual system, distinctive body plan and social habits of these archetypal fossils. MORE

Feb. 25, 2014

The Week column; researchers studying volcanic ash to date fossils formed by extinction event 252 million years ago determine that entire episode lasted just 60,000 years; other notable developments in science and medicine highlighted. MORE

Feb. 11, 2014

Study in journal Nature, based on 50,000 year analysis of Arctic vegetation history, reveals that change in diet may have led to demise of wooly mammoth, wooly rhinoceros and other large animals. MORE

Jan. 14, 2014

Scientists examining fossils of Tiktaalik roseae, transitional species that lived 375 million years ago, have concluded that modification of fins into four limbs began before vertebrates left the water. MORE

Dec. 17, 2013

Nathan P Myhrvold, dinosaur hobbyist and former Microsoft executive, publishes article in journal PLoS One disputing previous studies by some of the world's top paleontologists discussing dinosaurs' growth rates. MORE

Nov. 19, 2013

Jack Tseng study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reports discovery of set of big-cat fossils thought to be oldest ever found and belonging to previously unknown species known as Pantherine blytheae; fossils may help solve longstanding mystery about origins of big cats. MORE

Nov. 12, 2013

Rebecca Pian study in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reports identification of new species of extinct giant platypus, based on discovery of a single tooth. MORE

Nov. 7, 2013

Researchers say a 165 million-year-old fossil from China is the oldest ever found of two insects copulating; findings appear in journal PLoS One. MORE

Oct. 29, 2013

Article in journal PeerJ reports discovery of most complete fossil specimen to date of tube-crested Parasaurolophus, a genus of duck-billed dinosaurs; fossil was discovered by 17-year-old Kevin Terris during class field trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. MORE

Oct. 29, 2013

Researchers are working to place group of 1.8 million-year-old skulls found in Georgian Republic in chain of human evolution; some say that skulls, which belong to genus Homo, are from single species, which they have suggested should be called Homo erectus; if confirmed, discovery would have big impact on understanding of human evolution. MORE

Oct. 22, 2013

Study of fossils in journal Nature suggests that scales evolved before teeth, contradicting decades of conventional wisdom. MORE

Oct. 22, 2013

Fossil poachers have become a major problem for paleontologists, wreaking havoc on the sites of dinosaur remains. MORE

Oct. 18, 2013

Paleoanthropologist David Lordkipanidze and scientists at Georgian National Museum have spent eight years studying 1.8-million-year-old skull uncovered in Republic of Georgia; team reports in journal Science that diverse fossils currently recognized as coming from distinct species of human ancestors may actually represent variation among members of single, evolving lineage. MORE

Aug. 20, 2013

Study in journal Science reports discovery in northeastern China of 160-million-year-old fossil of a fast-running, agile omnivore, called Rugosodon eurasiaticus, that resembles modern-day African dormouse; remains are earliest known skeletal fossil of a multituberculate and offers new insight into mammal group’s incredible success. MORE

Jul. 30, 2013

Two fossilized dinosaur skeletons found in Montana by commercial fossil hunters will be auctioned by Bonhams in New York, where they could bring $7 million to $9 million. MORE

Jul. 23, 2013

The Week column; study in journal The Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reports discovery of fossils of Nasutoceratops, relative of triceratops with distinctive, bulbous nose, in southern Utah; other significant developments in health and science news highlighted. MORE

Jun. 27, 2013

Study published in journal Nature reports that researchers have reconstructed genome of horse that lived about 700,000 years ago, 10 times older than any other genome recovered so far; reconstruction has yielded several new insights about evolution of horses, and scientists say technique could be used to attain DNA from animals that lived up to million years ago. MORE

Jun. 25, 2013

Study in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reports discovery of pareiasaur Bunostegos, reptile with unusually knobby skull that roamed North Africa more than 200 million years ago; examination of skull supports theory that region, now known as northern Niger, had isolated desert climate at time. MORE

Jun. 6, 2013

Paleontologists report in journal Nature finding nearly complete skeleton of tiny, ancient primate--creature that weighed less than an ounce, had a tail longer than its body and would fit in the palm of one's hand--that is earliest well-preserved fossil primate ever found, dating back some 55 million years and dialing back the fossil record for primates by an impressive eight million years. MORE

Jun. 4, 2013

Pascal Godefroit study in journal Nature holds that Archaopteryx, considered earliest form of bird at its discovery in 1860 and later considered to be dinosaur in 2009, should in fact be viewed as primitive bird. MORE

May. 28, 2013

Study in journal Palaeontologia Electronica finds that Allosaurus, smaller cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, was a far more dexterous and exact hunter than its larger relation; study relied on reconstruction of Allosaurus' neck and jaw muscles, which were found to function like those of modern-day falcon. MORE

May. 6, 2013

Mongolia's celebrated skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar dinosaur is being returned to the country, months after commercial paleontologist Eric Prokopi admits he had smuggled its bones into United States. MORE

Mar. 15, 2013

Chinese scientists publish study in journal Science reporting discovery of some primitive bird fossils showing species with four-wing body plan before they lost hind-limb feathers and used those limbs to walk. MORE

Mar. 6, 2013

Feb. 8, 2013

Scientists reporting in journal Science describe a rat-sized animal weighing no more than half a pound that they identify as the most likely common ancestor of many species that nourish their young in utero through a placenta; animal had several anatomical characteristics for live births that anticipated all placental mammals and led to some 5,400 living species, including humans; study appears to support view that in global extinctions 66 million years ago, all non-avian dinosaurs had to die for mammals to flourish. MORE

Jan. 22, 2013

Researchers are studying geological and fossil evidence of climate change throughout the earth's history in order to help predict the effects of current global warming, particularly in terms of rising sea levels (Series: Temperature Rising). MORE